District Office:
92 Franklin St., 4th Floor Buffalo, NY 14202 Office Phone: 716/873-3438 Office Fax: 716/858-8818 County E-Mail – Kevin.Hardwick@erie.gov	Find your local library!

Biographical Sketch of Dr. Kevin R. Hardwick

Kevin R. Hardwick was elected to the Erie County Legislature in 2009. He has lived in the City of Tonawanda since joining the Department of Political Science at Canisius College in the fall of 1989. His involvement in politics and the policy process dates back to his senior year in high school when he was elected to a seat on the Susquehanna Valley Board of Education in the Binghamton area. After serving his three-year term on the school board, Dr. Hardwick was elected councilman in the Town of Binghamton, New York; a post he held for eight years. In 1986 he was appointed Administrative Assistant to the Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, Warren M. Anderson. He served in this capacity until Senator Anderson's retirement in December of 1988.

Dr. Hardwick received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. His research interests include state legislative politics and the politics of municipal service distribution. In addition to teaching introductory American government courses, he also teaches courses in public policy, public administration, state and local government, the presidency, American Catholics in the Public Square, and urban politics. He is a former chair of the Political Science Department and currently serves as the Director of the Urban Studies Program. He also hosted Hardline with Kevin Hardwick, a weekly WBEN radio program on local politics, from 2005-2009.

Dr. Hardwick was a member of the City of Tonawanda Charter Review Commission and was elected First Ward Councilmember in the City of Tonawanda in 1995. He was re-elected to this post twice. He did not seek reelection in 2001 so that he could challenge the Chairman of the Erie County Legislature for a seat on that body. In that race, he suffered his first defeat in seven tries for elected office. In 2003, he again challenged the Chairman of the Legislature. After winning the Republican primary, Dr. Hardwick lost by a narrow margin in the general election. In 2009 he won the 10th District County Legislative seat by a 22 percent margin. His unique blend of formal training and practical political experience contributes to lively discussions in all of his classes at Canisius and contributes to his effectiveness on the Legislature.